As a practicing management consultant and an engineer I enjoy technology, corporate strategy and anything thats to do with scaling and development of enterprises. An evangelist for digital transformation I strongly believe that in today's environment of continuous disruption, being agile and data-driven is the way for SMEs to sustain and grow.

1. PreparingSMEs and Start-ups for Growth inUncertain Times
How can small andmediumenterprisesovercome uncertaintyandstill sustaingrowth?Isitpossible
to scale inthe face of and everchangingbusinessenvironment?Twoquestions(bothinterlinkedin
some way) whichrankleseveryentrepreneur,start-up,familygroupandSME. The answerisnot
simple butneitheristhe probleminsurmountablycomplex.
Companiesandentrepreneurshave tounderstandthathe startingpointtosolvingthischallengeis
actuallyinacceptingit.Thoughit mightsoundlike somethingfromapsychiatrymanual,the realityis
manycompaniesdonot recognize the enormityof the problemtheyare upagainst.SMEs whichare
the grass-rootsinnovatorsandlastmile socio-economicvalue creatorshave struggledtoadaptto
change and inmany caseshave fadedintooblivionorinconsequence.Sohow docompaniesface
thisconundrum?
The answercan be devisedthroughathree-stageframeworktoensure sustainabilityinthe longrun.
(Acknowledge the sources of images that have been downloaded from the internet. Any copyrighted image used is unintentional and regretted)
Strategic Vision– Agile Execution
As a consultantwe keeptalkingaboutstrategy,longtermvision,planningandimplementation.Ina
fastchangingworld,planningfor5 years and stickingtoa well-laidoutimplementationplanitself
can be a recipe fordisaster.Giventhe pace of change,whatlookedrosyat the outsetmightactually
vanishas an opportunitytwoyearsdownthe line makingthe 5yearplanredundant.One of the

2. hallmarksof a small firmisbeingnimble.If the processof visionimplementationleadstorigidityof
purpose thenthe basicadvantage of a small firmisdestroyed.
The Solution
Define yourvisionbutkeepthe executiondynamic.Insteadof workingonone activitythatspansa
longtime frame workon multiplesmalleractivitiesthatfollow eachother.Thiswaythe effort,time
and costsassociatedwithvisionimplementationismanaged,the abilitytochange ishigherandin
the face of a game-changingdisruption,the abilitytoreengineerisnotlost.The keytothis liesinthe
followingtwopointsthatare talkedabout.
Human Capital Development
People are the backbone of anyorganization,more sointhe case of a small enterprise.Many
companiespride themselvesonhavingpeoplethathave beenwiththemforagesandhave grown
withthe firm.Thisisgreat froma businesscontinuityperspectivebut(unlessmanagedwell)could
be detrimental fromachange managementperspective.Employeesinsmallerenterprisesandstart-
upsare highlyempoweredastheydonmultiplehatsandhave a greatervisibilityacrossthe
operational lifecycle.Beinginthe firmfora longtime or workingtowardsasingle goal couldleadto
tunnel vision.The abilitytoembrace change andanticipate disruptionishampered.
The Solution
Empoweryourpeople andcontinuouslychallengethem.Leverage yourkeyemployeestohelp
create newideas,fosterinnovationanddrive change.The agile implementationframeworkspoken
of earlier, will keepthemchallengedandtheirabilitytosee the resultof theirefforts(discussednext
inthisarticle) will provideasense of intellectual satisfaction.Inshort,participativechange and
managementwill have tobe practiced.
Digital Transformation
Thisis probablythe leastunderstood,misunderstoodandmostunderestimatedof the needsto
make an enterprise future ready.Whenyoutalkof digital transformationitissurelynotaboutbig
data, fancysoftware andhigh-techcontrol rooms.Digital transformationisthe processof making

3. your data (anyenterprise data) workforyou.Itisabout how you collect,store,analyse andutilize
your data.Most companieshave anERP of some kindandsome formof CRM. But do decision-
makershave continuousreal-time visibilityof changestothe data, evolutionof the metricsor
comingred-flags?Doesyourdatahelpyouwithoperational decision-making?Canyourdatabe used
to simulate scenarios?Doyouneedsomeone tointerpretyourdatafor youor is itvisually self-
explanatory?Answeringthesequestionsisthe basisfordigital transformation.
The Solution
Ensure that yourdata is accurate,real-time andwell linkedupwiththe longtermgoalsandshort-
termKPIs.Use real-time dashboards(renderedonyourmobiles,tabsorlaptops) tocontinuously
stay abreastof the organizational events.Empoweryourkeystaff bylettingthemtrackprogressof
the companyin general andinitiativesinparticularsothat theycan visuallyseethe resultsof their
action.This alsoensuresthatas an enterprise youstaynimble andare able toreact quickertoany
changes.
These three elementsare interconnectedpiecesof the same puzzle andone doesnotworkwithout
the other.But inunisonthey would ensure thatanorganizationiswell preparedtomeetthe future.
Neitherof these requiresanymassive reengineeringorcommitment.There willbe some investment
involvedthough,butwhatwill be the keyisa change of mind-setacrossthe firmto embrace and
face change ratherthan be unpreparedandworried.